Executive Order 2025-08

WHEREAS, the Trump administration has taken unprecedented actions that will dramatically increase food insecurity and hunger in Illinois; and,

WHEREAS, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, is one of the most effective federal programs that for 60 years has provided access to critical food benefits and alleviated poverty while also stimulating local economies; and,

WHEREAS, over 1.8 million Illinois residents receive SNAP benefits with $4.7 billion of federal funds invested in Illinois annually; and,

WHEREAS, SNAP supports working families, older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, and children; and,

WHEREAS, SNAP spending has driven economic output of $1.3 billion across grocery and other retailing industries in Illinois; and,

WHEREAS, more than 18,000 jobs in grocery stores and supporting industries are supported by SNAP spending in Illinois; and,

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has chosen not to issue emergency appropriations to fund SNAP benefits during the federal shut-down, and this decision, effective November 1, will result in the loss of food benefits for over one million households and working families in Illinois; and,

WHEREAS, on July 4, 2025, the federal government enacted Public Law 119-21 (House Resolution 1 of the 119th Congress – H.R. 1), making sweeping changes to SNAP; and,

WHEREAS, beginning October 1, 2026, H.R. 1 shifts an additional 25% for the administrative costs of SNAP from the federal government to states, costing Illinois approximately $80 million in additional expense annually; and, 

WHEREAS, H.R. 1 ends food assistance benefits for thousands of previously eligible immigrants with legal immigration status; and,

WHEREAS, H.R. 1 more than doubles the number of Illinois SNAP recipients subject to work requirements, including veterans, former youth in care, and the unhoused, creating a substantial administrative burden for the state and threatening benefits of hundreds of thousands of Illinoisians; and,

WHEREAS, effective October 1, 2027, H.R. 1 will, for the first time in the SNAP program’s history, require states to pay for a portion of the SNAP program benefits based on a state’s “payment error rate” (PER); and, 

WHEREAS, there is a misconception that the SNAP PER is an indication of fraudulent activities, but in fact, the SNAP PER is mainly due to unintentional mistakes made by recipients or agency personnel; and,

WHEREAS, the USDA terminated the annual food insecurity survey, the results of which have helped states understand hunger across communities for more than 20 years; and,

WHEREAS, with H.R. 1’s changes to SNAP, independent grocery stores are expected to lose $87.5 billion nationally over the next decade, with an average of a 6% to 9% reduction in sales per year; and, 

WHEREAS, independent grocers have a gross net margin of approximately 1.4%; and,

WHEREAS, in Illinois, independent grocery stores contribute over $9.3 billion in sales, over 38,000 direct jobs, over $3.2 billion in wages, and over $1.2 billion in taxes, annually; and,

WHEREAS, Illinois has made strides to address food insecurity and lack of food access, including the elimination of the grocery tax, maximization of food benefit programs, and the Illinois Grocery Initiative; and,

WHEREAS, Illinois eliminated the state grocery tax beginning in 2026, lowering the cost of groceries for Illinois families; and,

WHEREAS, Illinois was of the first states to adopt the summer EBT program for Illinois school children; and,

WHEREAS, Illinois has joined 24 other states and Washington, D.C. in legal action to compel the federal administration to fulfill its commitment to SNAP recipients during the federal shutdown; and,

WHEREAS, the Illinois Grocery Initiative provides wrap-around support to local governments and independent grocers opening grocery stores in Illinois and those currently operating in food insecure communities; and,

WHEREAS, Illinois created the Budget Reserve for Immediate Disbursements and Governmental Emergencies (BRIDGE) Fund, an emergency contingency fund created to mitigate federal uncertainty;

THEREFORE, I, JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, by virtue of the executive authority vested in me by the Illinois Constitution and the laws of the State of Illinois, hereby order as follows:

Section 1.        A total of $20 million in state funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and the BRIDGE Fund shall be directed to support food banks across Illinois beginning November 1, 2025, because the Trump administration has chosen to sever SNAP benefits for the first time in the program’s 60-year history.

Section 2.        IDHS shall work closely with the Illinois Commission to End Hunger (ICTEH) to launch statewide listening sessions to (a) understand the impacts of SNAP changes on Illinoisians seeking SNAP and stakeholders who engage with SNAP (such as non-profits, grocers, food vendors, convenience stores, pharmacies, farmers, food banks, CBOs and non-profits), and (b) issue a report sharing information learned and providing recommended actions to take to mitigate the harms Illinoisans are experiencing.

Section 3.        IDHS and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) shall engage a public university research partner to review food access and food insecurity in Illinois, ensuring that the State does not have a gap in understanding food access and food insecurity due to the USDA’s termination of the Annual National Household Food Insecurity Survey.

Section 4.        IDHS and DCEO shall partner with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) to deploy surveys to grocers, convenience stores, and pharmacies of all sizes, statewide, to learn about potential impacts due to SNAP changes and gather information on where SNAP changes impact food insecure communities.

Section 5.        IDHS, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Department on Aging, the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, and the Illinois Department of Central Management Services shall collaborate to create interagency solutions to mitigate the harm to Illinois families from H.R. 1’s changes to SNAP.

Section 6.        IDHS shall continue efforts to analyze primary contributors to the SNAP PER and implement policy changes needed to address key SNAP PER contributors to reduce the SNAP PER, in response to H.R. 1.

Section 7.        IDHS shall develop strategies with community partners to help SNAP recipients navigate the new work requirements. 

Section 8.        In response to H.R. 1’s termination of SNAP education, IDHS will work closely with ICTEH to identify food education needs and the interests of recipients and to recommend an approach for Illinois.

Section 9.        IDHS shall designate staff to (a) launch an educational campaign, (b) provide outreach support to partners connected with food insecure Illinoisians, and (c) maintain a commitment to partnering with CBOs, non-profits, and benefits enrollers to ensure that organizations, partners, referents, and benefit recipients stay informed about the changes and rollout timelines.

Section 10.      IDHS shall pursue any appropriate waivers from the USDA that will ensure ease of access and connectivity to SNAP for as many eligible Illinoisans as possible.

Section 11.      Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to contravene any federal or State law or regulation. Nothing in this Executive Order shall affect or alter the existing statutory powers of any State agency.

Section 12.      If any provision of this Executive Order or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, this invalidity does not affect any other provision or application of this Executive Order which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To achieve this purpose, the provisions of this Executive Order are declared to be severable.  

Section 13.      This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon its filing with the Secretary of State.

__________________________

JB Pritzker
Governor

Issued by the Governor:  October 30, 2025

Filed with the Secretary of State:  October 30, 2025